Try these plants to conserve water

Cooperative extension service staff recommend a range of drought-resistant plantings in this region, from ground covers to shade trees and evergreens. The most productive selection will depend on location, so consider if the area is wet and poorly drained or hot and sunny.

Consider the life span and full height of trees and shrubs.

Some of the choices, listed by their common names, are:

Shade trees:

trident maple (the one that turns yellow, red and orange in the fall), shagbark hickory, common hackberry, green ash, Maidenhair (gingko, but only buy males. The females eventually produce fruit that gets smelly) and scarlet oak (a popular golf course tree).

Small trees

(often chosen for flower display, fall color, and fruit and bark interest): Amur maple, Washington hawthorn, Golden raintree (excellent as a single tree or in a screen with yellow flowers in the spring), “Aristocrat” callery pear (leaves turn red and purple in the fall) and blackhaw virburnum.

These should be chosen for foliage, flower or fruit attributes. If bright blossoms are their bonus, plant them where they won’t detract from landscape after flowering season:

Groundcovers:

Snow-in-summer (good for edging), bearberry cotoneaster (good for banks, slopes and along housing foundations), day lily, Aaronsbeard St. Johnswort (bright yellow flowers from June through September and spreads quickly), and creeping thyme.

These stabilize the soil, reduce weeds and demand less water than grass. Consider their height when designing the area because ground covers range from several inches to several feet. They do best in full sun.